Curtain-fixture.



No. 769,895- 7 PATENTED SEPT. 13, 1904 W. H. FORSYTH.

CURTAIN FIXTURE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2, 1903.

NO MODEL, 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1-,

No. 769,895. v PATENTED SEPT.13, 1904.

W. H. FORSYTH.

CURTAIN FIXTURE.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 2, 1908.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEBTS-SHBET 2.

UNITED STATES Patented September 13, 1904.

PATENT EEicE.

WILLIAM H. FORSYTH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE CUR- TAIN SUPPLY COMPANY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CURTAIN-FIXTURE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,895, dated September 13, 1904.

Application filed November 2, 1903. Serial No. 179,540. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, WILLIAM H. FoRsYTH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Curtain-Fixtures, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in I curtain-fixtures which are intended to be used with spring-actuated curtains or shades, the fixtures serving to hold the curtain-shade in an adjusted position against the pull of the shade-roller spring. The usual form of a device of this kind comprises friction-holding members, the friction being dependent upon the strength of the springs by which the friction-shoes are pressed outwardly into contact with the window-frame.

In my improved construction the spring is not solely relied upon to produce the holding effect; but such effect is produced by the employment of a shoe or holding member in the form of a wedge which cooperates with a groove or other bearing-surface on the Window-frame, so that instead of a mere friction contact between the surface of the shoe and the surface of the frame there is, in effect, a wedging action.

The principle of my invention may be embodied in avariety of forms, and I have shown several practicable constructions in the accompanying drawings, in. which- Figure 1 is an elevation showing one corner of the shade or curtain and showing a curtain-fixture applied thereto, the latter being partly and a part of the window-frame being wholly in sectional elevation. Figs. 2 and 3 are plan views showing the shade or curtain and the window-frame in transverse section, the latter figure showing a part of the fixture also in section. Figs. 4: and 5 show a modified construction wherein the fixture is provided with a friction-holding shoe of wedgeshaped form and with antifriction rollers adapted to bear upon the face of the frame when the curtain is tilted. Figs. 6 and 7 are similar views of another modification wherein the rollers are omitted and wedge-shaped shoes are carried at the extremities of an elongated head.

In the drawings, 10 represents the shade or curtain, which may be provided in its lower edge with a pocket to contain a tubular shadestick 11, within which is mounted a springactuated sliding rod 12 and a spring 13, abutting upon a suitable stop (not shown) at one end and at the other upon the shank 14 of the head 15. The latter, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. is an open metallic box, between the side walls of which are journaled the wedgeshaped rollers 16, which are adapted to grooves 17 in the frame 18. These grooves near their bottoms are of a width less than the minimum width of the rollers and have sloping sides beveled at an angle approximating that of the beveled sides of the wheels or rollers, serve to guide the fixture in its movements up and down, while the springs when released force the shoes into the grooves with a wedging action, so that their beveled sides contacting with the side walls of the groove frictionally hold the curtain at any desired adjustment .within the range of its movement. These grooves may have flat-bottomed walls, as shown in Fig. 2, or they may be V-shaped, as shown in Fig. 3, or of other forms, provided that the wheels and the grooves are so related that a wedging action takes place due to the pressure of the spring. Obviously a lighter spring may be employed with this construction than with one where the friction between the periphery of the shoe and the bottom of the groove is depended upon.

The heads 15 and wedge-shaped rollers 16 may be of metal, and the latter may be constructed of two similarly-formed disks 16 as shown in Fig. 3, with an interposed washer 17, of leather, rubber, or felt, which willhave some elasticity, so as to slightly expand the metal sections of the roller and afford a better hold. These rollers may also be made of rubber, wood, leather, or other good friction material.

In Figs. & and 5 is shown a construction wherein the head is in the form of a solid block 18, the rollers 19 being journaled at the sides of the block and serving to guide and steady the fixture in its movements, while a holding-shoe 20 of wedge-shaped form is carried upon the face of the block at the middle of the head. In thisconstruction any tendency of the curtain to tilt from a horizontal position will be resisted by the rollers coming in contact with the faces of the stops or window-frame, and these rollers may be set close to the window-frame, so as to permit only a slight movement of the wedge 20 into the groove, which movement will be suflicient to hold the fixture.

In Figs. 6 and 7 an elongated head 21 is employed, having at its ends the wedge-shaped friction-shoes 22, which ride in the grooves and serve to hold the fixture in position and also serve to guide it and prevent its tilting.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the principle of my invention may be embodied in a wide variety of structural forms, and those which are shown in the drawings are intended to be illustrative merely, and my invention is not, therefore, limited to said forms.

The principal advantage secured by this construction is that the employment of excessive spring-pressure is obviated, since the form of the holding-shoes brings into play a wedging action which serves to hold the fixture without excessive spring-pressure.

The fixture may be provided with the usual pendants or pinch-handles, or with due attention to the construction and adaptation of the wedge-shaped holding devices and the cooperating grooves a Very sensitive fixture is provided which may be operated by simply pushing up or pulling down upon the curtain.

The more sensitive the fixture is and the less force that is required to operate it the 4 less liability there is of the displacement of the curtain. to avoid the use of excessive spring-pressure in these devices.

I claim 1. In a on rtain-fixture the combination with a stick, of a head at the end of the stick, a spring for forcing the head outward, a holding device on the head having oppositely-inclined sides, and a fixed guide having oppo- 5 sitely-inclined walls with which the holding device engage and spaced so that when pressure is applied to the latter it will be wedged against the walls of the guide.

2. In a curtain-fixture the combination with a stick, of a spring-pressed head carried by the stick, a holding member on the head having converging sides, and an open guidegroove having inclined walls with which the sides of the holding member engages and which are so spaced that the latter will be wedged into the guide when the pressure is applied.

3. In a curtain-fixture the combination with a stick, of a spring-pressed elongated head 5 carried by the stick, antifriction-rolls at the ends of the head, an intermediate holding member on the head having inclined sides, and a guide having inclined sides spaced apart to permit the wedging of the holding member 7 therebetween upon the latter being thrust out- Ward.

WILLIAM H. FORSYTH. Witnesses:

C. G. LINTHIOUM, FREDERICK C. Goonwnv.

It is therefore an advantage 

